The present invention relates to touch sensitive. keyboards and more particularly, to a configurable keyguard for use over a touch sensitive keyboard to control the users access to touch sensitive regions on the keyboard.
Computers can be useful tools for communicating with and/or teaching individuals with disabilities, if the individuals have a way of interacting with the computer. Special computer keyboards have been designed for individuals with motor difficulties from such disabilities as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and brain trauma. One example is the touch sensitive keyboard available from Intellitools, Inc. of Novato, Calif. under the name INTELLIKEYS(copyright), which is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,078, entitled MEMBRANE COMPUTER KEYBOARD AND METHOD and incorporated herein by reference. These touch sensitive keyboards use overlays with various letters, numbers, or symbols to allow disabled individuals to learn and play games with the computer. For example, the computer may ask the student questions requiring the student to properly answer the question by activating a touch sensitive region on the keyboard.
Even with this type of specially designed keyboard, some disabled individuals, particularly those having difficulty controlling motor skills, still have problems using the keyboard. Lack of motor skills often causes the individual to unintentionally touch a region on the touch sensitive keyboard, causing an unintentional keystroke to be entered into the computer. Students can easily be discouraged if this unintentional keystroke results in an inaccurate choice or answer to a question.
To prevent unintentional keystrokes on a touch sensitive keyboard, keyguards have been used over the keyboard. These keyguards are made of durable plastic and snap or lock on top of an overlay on the keyboard providing spatial separations for each key or touch sensitive region. The keyguard thus guides the disabled individual to the appropriate touch sensitive region and avoids unintentional keystrokes and inaccurate choices.
These keyguards still have some limitations, however. Existing keyguards are formed to a preexisting layout and are designed for preexisting keyboards and overlays. In order to change the size or number of keys available, different keyguards having different layouts are required. These existing keyguards are not attentive to the specific neurological advantages and disadvantages of each individual""s condition. Also, the keyguards may not prevent unintentional activation of the touch sensitive keyboard caused by the keyguard itself contacting a touch sensitive region.
Accordingly, there is a need for a configurable keyguard that allows a user, such as an instructor, to modify the number of available keys and the layout of keys without having to replace the entire keyguard. Also, there is a need for a keyguard that is supported on the touch sensitive keyboard in such a way as to prevent the keyguard from contacting touch sensitive regions.
The present invention features a configurable keyguard for use with a touch sensitive keyboard. The configurable keyguard comprises a template adapted to fit over the touch sensitive keyboard. The template has a plurality of keyboard access regions extending through the template and spatially separated on the template. The keyboard access regions allow a user to access touch sensitive regions on the keyboard. The configurable keyguard further comprises a plurality of keyboard access cover members removably engageable with the keyboard access regions for covering at least one of the touch sensitive regions of the keyboard.
In one embodiment, the plurality of keyboard access regions form a grid on the template. The template can include one or more frame members along one or more edges of the template for supporting the template on the touch sensitive keyboard in a spaced relationship from the touch sensitive regions. The template can also include one or more contact members on a bottom surface thereof arranged to contact non-touch sensitive regions on the keyboard to prevent the template from inadvertently contacting the touch sensitive regions. The template can also include one or more support members extending into each of the keyboard access regions for supporting the keyboard access cover members. The template can also include tactually recognizable symbols and/or visually recognizable symbols along one or more sides thereof.
According to one embodiment, the keyboard access cover members include a handle on a top surface thereof for grasping the cover members and facilitating insertion and removal of the cover members. The number of keyboard access cover members preferably corresponds to the number of keyboard access regions in the template. Each of the keyboard access cover members can also include one or more detents on a side thereof for providing a friction fit within the keyboard access regions.
The present invention also features a keyguard for use with a touch sensitive keyboard having touch sensitive regions and non-touch sensitive regions. The keyguard comprises a template adapted to fit over the touch sensitive keyboard. The template has a plurality of keyboard access regions extending through the template and spatially separated on the template. The keyboard access regions allow a user to access at least one of the touch sensitive regions on the keyboard. At least one frame member along at least one edge of the template supports the template on the touch sensitive keyboard and spaces the template from the touch sensitive regions. At least one contact member on a bottom surface of the template is located to contact one of the non-touch sensitive regions on the touch sensitive keyguard, thereby preventing the template from contacting the touch sensitive regions.
The present invention also features a configurable touch sensitive keyboard system comprising a touch sensitive keyboard having a plurality of touch sensitive regions. A keyboard overlay is removably disposed on the touch sensitive keyboard and has a plurality of symbols corresponding to at least some of the touch sensitive regions. A keyguard template is removably disposed over the keyboard overlay and has a plurality of keyboard access regions extending through the template and spatially separated on the template. The keyboard access regions correspond to at least some of the plurality of symbols on the keyboard overlay to allow a user to access corresponding touch sensitive regions on the keyboard. A plurality of keyboard access cover members are removably engageable with the keyboard access regions for covering at least one of the symbols on the keyboard overlay and the corresponding touch sensitive region.
Symbols on the keyboard overlay can include tactually recognizable symbols, such as Braille characters. The keyboard access cover members preferably include one or more spacer members on a bottom surface thereof for spacing the cover members from the tactually recognizable symbols on the keyboard overlay.